13 Mar The areas that SMEs are looking at in order to future-proof their organisations

Ricoh Transform is no longer active. You can keep up to date with the latest thinking from Ricoh Ireland on our new blog,Ricoh Insights.

A recent study, commissioned by Ricoh and involving 1,608 SME leaders across Europe including Ireland, revealed that 52% of owners and managers fear for the future of their companies without new technology. For that reason, the majority are actively focusing on business agility in 2018, with a prioritisation on certain technologies. These are some of the areas that SMEs are looking at in order to future-proof themselves and meet the needs of their employees…

Automation

With almost three quarters of business leaders believing that automation will have the biggest impact on their organisations, this is an area that will certainly be a focus going forward. Automated systems help to improve efficiency and productivity within the workplace, by creating a centralised workflow and managing print requests, thus enabling companies to drive results. Fiery Central is one such Ricoh solution which helps to automate repetitive tasks, customise workflows and direct jobs for output, enabling organisations to process more print jobs more efficiently.

Data analytics

Considering the increasingly rapid rate at which data continues to grow, it comes as no surprise that more than 60% of leaders cited data analytics as playing a major role in the running of their companies. As well as storage concerns, security is something that IT professionals have to address when it comes to the management of data. Finding a seamless, cost-effective and transparent solution, such as the Ricoh File Analyser, is one way that businesses can map, move and manage their valuable data.

Document management

Document management remains a key focus for Irish businesses, with nearly two thirds of leaders believing that it has a major impact on companies, and organisations need to ensure that their processes are streamlined and managed in a way that supports their business objectives. As well as scanning and archiving services, which make the accessibility and digitisation of information much easier, managed site solutions can help to boost business performance and improve document control on business premises.

Video conferencing

More than half (56%) of SME leaders also noted video conferencing as vital in terms of employee needs, which highlights that such unified communication systems are more likely to become more commonplace. Video conferencing systems (for example, the Ricoh P3500) mean that, regardless of location or time zones, employees can collaborate and innovate effectively, thus encouraging productivity, interactivity and creativity. As the popularity and importance of mobile workstyles continues to grow, this seamless and secure means of communication is fast-becoming the norm.

By focusing on these types of innovative technologies and solutions, businesses are hoping to increase the productivity levels of their employees and future-proof their organisations.

For more information on the products and services that Ricoh Ireland provides across the areas of automation, data analytics, document management and video conferencing, visit the website here.

Ricoh Transform is no longer active. You can keep up to date with the latest thinking from Ricoh Ireland on our new blog,Ricoh Insights.